When aiming for good causes more harm than good

Designers like me get excited when people use our creations the way we intended. It's so cool when someone just knows how to use something without any instructions. But the most important thing in design is figuring out what the user wants to do with it.

Have you ever thought about how hard it is to get people to do things they know they should do, but just don't feel like doing? Like eating healthier, exercising more, or being more environmentally friendly? We all know we should do these things, but sometimes we just don't. Even though there are so many groups out there trying to help us make better choices, it's still tough. Why is it so difficult to design things that make people want to do the right thing?

Recycling is rubbish

I remember this one time in school when my mom came to visit and we had lunch together. We were at the campus cafeteria. After we finished eating, my mom said she would take our trays to the trash while I cleaned the table. But when she went to throw our stuff away, she found not just one trash can, but four of them!

I saw her standing there, looking confused with a dirty tray in her hand. She was trying to follow the recycling rules, but she seemed unsure of what to do. The bins were all different colors and had signs telling her what she could and couldn't throw in them.

She had a hard time figuring out the weird signs because English wasn't her first language. The red bin was for glass, plastic, and cans. The blue bin was for paper. The yellow bin was for something else, and the gray bin was for something different. She didn't know where to put our forks because they were made of eco-friendly material. Should she compost them or recycle them? Our plates were made of paper, but they were all wet from the food. Where were those supposed to go?

She tried to recycle her soda can at first, but then she got confused and just threw everything in the regular trash. She tried to play it off like it was no big deal, but I could tell she felt bad about it.

When you blame yourself, not others

Sometimes when things are designed poorly, people feel embarrassed or frustrated. They might think it's their fault for not understanding how to use something when it's the designer's fault. If you've ever tested something to see how easy it is to use, you've probably heard someone say, "I'm sorry" when they get stuck. But the saddest part is when people start to doubt themselves and give up because the design is so bad.

Have you ever felt like you just can't do anything right, no matter how hard you try? That's what I like to call the "it's me, not you" effect. It happens when we start to believe that we can't change our situation, so we stop trying. Instead of looking at the bigger picture and seeing how we can make things better, we just blame ourselves and give up. It's like we're stuck in a cycle of feeling helpless and not even realizing it.

When you keep failing at something, it can make you feel like you're not good at it. For example, if you're trying to lose weight but you keep giving up, you might start thinking, "I can't lose weight. I'm just meant to be overweight." Or if you don't vote because you think you're not interested in politics, you might start feeling like you don't care about anything. The more you avoid doing something, the harder it becomes to try again in the future. It's like a snowball effect - the more you don't do something, the less likely you are to ever do it.

Sometimes we like to point fingers at the person using something and say they're not trying hard enough. But we also have to think about the person who made it. If designing is all about making things easier for people, then when things don't work out, it's also the designer's fault.

Sparking Initiative

When my mom came back to our table after throwing away her trash, she felt a little confused and frustrated. She was asked to recycle everything on her tray, but she didn't understand what that meant. She was just trying to see me and get rid of her trash, so she didn't have time to figure it out. It wasn't entirely her fault that she didn't do it right.

Before the iPad came along, my mom thought technology was just for young people. She used to say, "I'm too old for that," whenever I suggested she send me an email. But now, thanks to the iPad, she's changed her mind. The apps she uses are easy and do simple things like email and taking pictures. The iPad has helped her realize she can do more than she thought she could. It's made her want to keep learning new things and trying new stuff.

My mom never really liked using technology. She thought it was too complicated and not meant for her. But, helping people do more is what real change is all about. Designers have the power to create technology that can make a big difference in people's lives.